Pavillons de Bercy, Entertainment museum in Bercy, Paris, France
The Musée des Arts Forains displays mechanical games, carousels, and funfair attractions from the 19th and 20th centuries in former wine warehouses.
Jean Paul Favand, an antiques dealer, founded this museum in 1996 by transforming Bercy's wine storage buildings into exhibition spaces for fairground artifacts.
The museum maintains three thematic sections: the Venetian Lounges, the Theatre of Marvels, and the Fairground Art Museum, with guided tours by actors.
Located in the 12th arrondissement, visitors must reserve their tickets online in advance for guided tours, which last approximately ninety minutes.
The museum received recognition as a Living Heritage Company in 2009 for preserving entertainment traditions through interactive experiences with historical rides.
Location: 12th arrondissement of Paris
Inception: 1996
Official opening: 1996
Accessibility: Wheelchair limited access
Phone: +33143401622
Email: diane@pavillons-de-bercy.com
Website: http://pavillons-de-bercy.com
GPS coordinates: 48.83277,2.38934
Latest update: June 23, 2025 09:39
Paris offers numerous museums away from major tourist crowds, presenting specialized collections. These institutions focus on diverse subjects including Asian art, mineralogy, historical urban planning, and contemporary photography. The exhibitions provide detailed insights into specific fields and historical developments. Visitors find space for focused observation without crowded halls. Collections range from archaeological finds to technical models and artistic works from various periods. These museums complement the city's cultural offerings through their thematic diversity and scholarly approach. They provide opportunities to explore specific areas of interest and discover lesser covered aspects of the Parisian cultural landscape.
France hosts monuments that go beyond common tourist routes. Individual creations like Ferdinand Cheval's Palais Idéal in Hauterives, built stone by stone over 33 years, sit alongside architectural reconversions like the Molitor Pool in Paris or the Contemporary Art Museum set in a 17th-century manor in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d'Or. These sites reflect unique stories and urban transformations worth exploring. This selection includes themed museums dedicated to magic in Blois, mechanical instruments at La Borde, fairground arts in Paris, and firefighters in Montville. It also features total art works like the Maison Picassiette in Chartres, entirely decorated with ceramic mosaics, and the Robert Tatin Museum in Cossé-le-Vivien. From Montmartre cemetery where Degas and Zola are buried to works by self-taught artists, these monuments offer different perspectives on French heritage and deserve a visit to explore lesser-known facets of the territory.
Paris has many themed museums that go beyond the usual tourist circuits. The underground sewer system has been open for visits since the 19th century, allowing visitors to see the technical installations that revolutionized urban hygiene. The fan museum houses over 2,500 pieces from the Renaissance to today, explaining traditional manufacturing techniques. The counterfeiting museum compares authentic products with copies to highlight issues of intellectual property. The Parisian collections cover a variety of fields: Asian art at the Guimet Museum with 45,000 objects from the Neolithic to the 20th century, African and Oceanian cultures at Quai Branly, fairground artifacts from the 19th century at Arts Forains, old automata and magic devices from past centuries. The Museum of Hunting and Nature is housed in a 17th-century townhouse and combines antique weapons with modern designs. These institutions offer unique insights into the social, technical, and artistic history of Paris.
Parc de Bercy
571 m
Cour Saint-Émilion
293 m
Les Pavillons de Bercy - Musée des Arts Forains
32 m
Quai de Bercy
623 m
Pont de Tolbiac
545 m
Science Expériences
240 m
Pont National
553 m
Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité de Bercy
417 m
Quai Panhard-et-Levassor
588 m
Jardin Yitzhak-Rabin
452 m
Petit château de Bercy
555 m
Port de Tolbiac
549 m
Square Jean-Morin
664 m
Cour du Minervois
155 m
Terrasse de Champagne
124 m
Pavillon du vent
597 m
Vegetable garden in the Parc de Bercy
646 m
Orangery of the Parc de Bercy
548 m
Pavillon du lac
336 m
Chai de Bercy
625 m
Condorcet Building
653 m
Jardin des senteurs
573 m
Belvedere of the Parc de Bercy
274 m
Jardin des bulbes
565 m
Jardin du philosophe
373 m
Orchard of the Parc de Bercy
551 m
Labyrinth of the Parc de Bercy
623 m
Greenhouse of the Parc de Bercy
593 mReviews
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